Oh, to retire and grow Kupus (cabbage)

If you are a Roman history freak like me you'll understand that the post title refers to emperor Diocletian. He, famously, was the only emperor to retire from office, after which he moved to his newly-built palace in Dalmatia outside Salona and there to grow cabbage. Or, so it is said about the cabbage part.

Today is our first full day in Split in a little 400 sq foot or so studio apartment just outside the Iron Gate of the palace. 

Lesson 1. Read Airbnb descriptions carefully. We both misread the apartment description and thought that the studio was within the palace.

Lesson 2. Jump on good listings right away. We had a chance to book a larger  albeit more expensive apartment inside the palace that had the pediment of the temple of Jupiter project into the apartment. By the time we tried to book it, well it wasn't available for our three nights. Still, our studio is in a building that is at least from the Renaissance. Plus, it's nifty how well it has been designed to compress so much into such a small space. 

The palace is pretty well fantastic, the best preserved one in existence. It has much similar to Felix Romuliana (Gamzigrad) but as Diocletian was the senior emperor it's much grander. Our walking tour guide this morning credited its survival to the people that moved into it after the empire fell. Selfish me would like to see everyone moved out and the post classical additions removed. 

As it is Split is going the way of Venice and Dubrovnik: locals are moving out and everything is turning into a large hotel / restaurant / coffee shop / chill lounge aimed at the tourist market. And that's actually very sad. Our guide spoke of how young Croatians hope to leave to the "promised land, Canada." Interestingly, he also said that Croatia has paid more into the EU than it has gotten in return. Pro-Yugoslav me...be careful what you wish for.

This afternoon we head out view the temple of Jupiter, followed by the massive sub-structures of the palace. Supper tonight will be prepared food from the local supermarket--have I mentioned how expensive Croatia is? How locals survive is a mystery.